Music Drama Film & Screen & Heritage/Museum Studies - Research
Overview
We are a research-intensive unit with a vibrant research culture within and across the disciplines above, along with collaborations with a wide range of external partners. REF2021 saw us being ranked alongside leading UK research-intensive university and conservatoire departments. We were placed joint first in the UK for research impact, in addition to our research environment being recognised as 100% ‘world-leading’ and ‘internationally excellent’, with more than half of our publications and practice-based outputs rated within these top two categories.
Our collaborative grouping of music, drama, film/screen and heritage contributes to a vibrant research culture which encompasses both theory and practice, as well as interdisciplinary opportunities.
Summary
Research at Ulster in subjects related to performing and practice-based arts, creative technologies, museum and heritage studies and associated cultural contexts is combined within this unit. PhD research can be pursued in the following individual subject areas and around priority topics including:
Film and Screen:
Contemporary Filmmaking Practice
Modern and Contemporary Cinema
Alternative, Amateur and Resistance Media
Horror: Theory, Practices and Cultures
Immersive Media and Cinematic VR
Drama:
Performance and Gender
Performance and Violence, Performance and Trauma
Applied Theatre and Disability Arts
Theatre and Ritual
Storytelling
Heritage and Museum Studies:
Material culture
Collections interpretation and collection history
Conflict testimony in museum interpretation
Interculturalism and the museum
Museums and the everyday
Digital heritage interpretation
Dark Tourism
Music:
Composition and the Composer-Performer
Improvised Music
Music and the Visual
Music Technology and Electronic/Electroacoustic/Sound-based Composition
Entry requirements
Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study. We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.
In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.
Application dates
How to Apply
We are delighted that you are considering Ulster University for your research studies.
Get full details on the application process and further guidance on how to apply, and what you will need to upload as part of your application (see "Application Date Weblink").
Once you have identified supervisors, discussed a research proposal and are ready to make an application, please apply using the online application system (see "Application Weblink").
Ulster University welcomes applications from all sections of the community and from persons with disabilities. It is University policy to assess all applications using academic criteria and on the basis of equality of opportunity and you should be assured that reasonable adjustments will be made should you require them.
Post Course Info
Careers and opportunities
PhD graduates are recognised by employers to hold valuable transferrable skills, as the nature of the degree trains candidates in creativity, critical inquiry, problem solving, negotiation skills, professionalism and confidence.
The most recent Ulster survey of PhD graduates found that 92% had secured employment within the first year since graduation (HESA Destination of Leavers Survey 2015), and while two thirds end up in the Higher Education or Research sectors, the range of skills acquired equips the remainder for employment in a wide range of contexts.